There is a big mall across the street in the Planet Hollywood. Very expensive stores (go figure) and the kids would probably like the Excalibur (sp). With that said, there are so many vulger immages and people and activities just outside your door at the Marriott and anything on the strip, that it will be really hard to keep your kids sheltered from seeing some very adult immages and actvities.
I was just in Vegas for the first time this past May. I had given serious thought of bring my 5 year old with me, just for a couple days and then taking him to Arizona an Utah with us. It only took leaving the Vegas airport to be thankful I left him home. You can't walk five feet on the strip without going through 10-20 people handing out pornographic cards for srippers and prostitutes. That's in addition to all the drunk and homeless people surrounding you. The homeless are okay, just sad, but the drunks are very vulger -- and these are mostly vacationers.
Having never been to vegas, I didn't know that all the card dealers are
scantily clad girls who make victoria secret models look conservative. If that's not enough, there are even less dressed girls pole dancing above the card dealers (this is especially true in the Planet Hollywood and Hardrock Casinos). You might think kids wouldn't see this but to get to most things in the casinos, even the arcades and pools, shops, restaurants, and the like you have to walk through the casino and all those immages are within eyesight of the walkways. If you have to ask someone for directions in the casino you have to ask the girls in lingerie who serve as "information centers" at all the casinos. I remember being at the Excalibur (sp), which is maybe the most kid friendly casino and trying to find the buffett. I was in an area adjacent to an arcade and in a foodcourt of sorts and the only worker I could find who wasn't behind a counter serving people were show girls, basically who stand outside the various shops and restaurants ready to give tourist directions and show times and stuff like that. I just laughed because these girls are dressed in less than a lingerie model would be wearing and they are surrounded by kids and families and it just all seemed inapropriate.
I'm not trying to say that being inside the casinos your kids are going to be exposed to a lot of a lot of nudity but it comes pretty close to that. It's more that getting from one casino/attraction to the next requires walking through a gauntlet of filth that might make your kids feel very uncomfortable, not to mention you. Maybe your kids are older and this stuff wont matter or maybe they are so young they won't know what is going on, but I wanted you to know what walking around in Vegas is like these days. The passing out of stipper cards and prostituion services is really agressive.
The Marriott is pretty sheltered from the strip, being half a block away or whatever it is, but there is also not a whole lot to do at the Marriott. There is a very small roof-top pool and I guess there is a MAZE. I toured the resort this past May when I was staying across the street at the Planet Hollywood. I liked the Marriott a lot but I was surprised by the pool and general lack of a resort feel. I guess I am used to resort locations where you don't really need to leave the resort. The Marriott in Vegas is not one of those resorts you never need to leave.
I liked Vegas and would go back just about any day but I was very thanful to to have a little kid there. I saw some kids when I was there but not many, but then again I was there in May and school is still in session, then.
We are staying there in March, with a big group of families, with kids.
Would love any suggestions or tips
